gonna give it a try

Hey guys its gettin about that time of the year and I am gonna try somethin new. Went out last night and baught a fly rod for trout have always had an old one for bass but gonna try to finess them trout down here in Forestville. I have fished this area quite a bit the last 10 years or so but never gave fly fishing a try but finally decided it could be somethin i love to do even more than usin the ultralight on them bad boys. Was just curious what fly patterns do you guys like for certain times of the year i picked up a sheet at Gander Mntn last night and baught some pheasant nymphs BWO caddis some adams i think and a few others but what do you guys recomend for flys and also leaders i am very unclear about those as well any tips would be awsome. also if anyone fishes arounf forestville, etna and lansboro areas get ahold of me anytime. thx

hey erick,

fly fishin for trout is great!!!

as far as flies go, i use almost exclusively Beadhead Pheasant Tail Nymphs……large, medium, and small….all times of the year. it’s also good to have a few dries (bluewing olive and tricos seem to hatch a lot), and a few streamers of some kind.

i usually get down to your area a couple times a year, i’ll be sure to get a hold of you the next time i head out

Hey erick

Glad to hear that you giving fly fishing a try. Its too bad I didn’t catch this thread earlier. My guiding partner and I just did a beginner fly fishing class in Elba this morning. To answer your questions nymnphs are solid from the Jan 1 opener to the end of the season. Stick with sized #16-#18 for the most part. The three nymph patterns you should never be on the water without are gold ribbed hare’s ear, pheasant tail, and prince nymph. Two other patterns that may not be a bad idea to add are scuds (orange and olive), and midge nymphs (I prefer a #18-20 black phaesant tail nymph for this). I always keep some woolly buggers,olive and black, in my fly box as well. As for dry flies, this can be a little more complex. I would start out with 2 dries in a couple of sizes, colors. An adams in #14-18 should cover most mayfly hatches, and black and tan elk hair caddis in the same sizes will cover most caddis fly hatches. If you want to get expand the amount of patterns that you carry I would suggest you start reading bug books so that you understand a little more before spending the money to have all the variations of dries. Leaders and tippet are quite basic – a 7 1/2′ or 9′ leader in sixe 5X for nymphing and 6X for dries will work in almost all situations. If you need more info send me a PM or give me a call.